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The Kommunreich of Neu England
Summary The Neu England Kommunreich is a quasi-fascist dictatorship lead by the mysterious Abigail Hawthorne, figurehead of the cult/political party, the Order of Salem. It consists of 11 Kommunstaats which nominally operate independently, as the Kommunreich has no official central government, yet in reality the Order holds more or less absolute power over all the Kommunstaats. The Kommunreich adheres to an eclectic and esoteric mix of ideologies ( known as “Occultische”) containing elements of radical feminism, ecofascism, neopaganism, anarcho-communism, occultism, and any number of secret influences known only to more advanced initiates of the Order. Localized and syncretic variations of Occultische are encouraged (albeit with heavy guidance from the Order’s “Hexenwache”) to further integrate conquered peoples into the Reich. Membership in the Order of Salem is actually fairly equal in terms of gender, however the higher one gets in the Order's hierarchy the more female-dominated it becomes. Even still, it is not uncommon to see men occupy powerful supporting roles in the upper echelons of the Order. Neu England has complex relations with its neighbors, the simplest being its antagonism towards its southern neighbor, The Grand State of Virginia. The Kommunreich invaded Virginia to minimal success, and amassed immense casualties only to end up losing and having a DMZ imposed on their side of the Mason-Dixon line. Neu England looks upon this defeat with great anger, and many await the coming “Rachekrieg”. To the east, Neu England has a neutral relationship with Atlantropolis, simultaneously relying on them for heavy industry and trade while also being ready and able to overrun them at any second. This creates a careful balance that allows them to maintain stable relations. In the west, the Laurentian League tentatively trades with the Kommunreich, knowing the threat they may pose in the future. To the north lies Neu England’s other greatest rival, Quebec. The Kommunreich managed to capture some Quebecois land south of the St. Lawrence River, at great cost for somewhat insignificant gain. Neu England has cautiously awaited retaliation ever since. Kommunestaats Salem Kommunstaat The Salem Kommunstaat is the holy land and birthplace of the Occultische Movement. Covered in temples, shrines, holy sites, and universities dedicated to furthering the political, intellectual, and spiritual goals of the Kommunreich, the decentralized nature of Neu England means that while military or economic power may not be centralized in the capital, Salem holds absolute religious authority in the Kommunreich. The Order of Salem party-clergy and their Hexenwache secret police/shock troopers enforce the will of the Frauenfuhrer from their HQ in Salem, striking without remorse or impunity against dissenters and enemies of the Order. Penobscotten Kommunstaat The Penobscotten Kommunstaat is a largely rural and untamed wilderness in the far north of Neu England. It was the initial testing ground of the Order of Salem's "Synkretismus" directive, which emphasized the syncretism of Occultische ideas with local and native american culture and religion. The test was a success, and the initiates of the Penobscotten branch became devout followers of the Frauenfuhrer and the Order. Aside from fishing, animal husbandry, and raw materials like lumber and fur, Penobscotten's main contribution to the Kommunreich are hardened, survivalist militias trained in the harsh, cold wildernesses of the Maine highlands. These troops engaged in numerous raids on Virginian arms depots and supply lines during the Mason-Dixon War, receiving minimal casualties compared to the front line. Weissburg Kommunstaat The Weissburg Kommunstaat was the first state in the Kommunreich to be conquered rather than converted, and resisted heavily. The Order's Hexenwache were assembled specifically to seek out and destroy hidden mountain strongholds, supposedly using "secret weapons" and "occult magic". Ever since then, it has contained several secret prisons and laboratories to store and test experimental weapons. Aside from that, Weissburg is largely autonomous and mostly provides conscripts and tithes to the Order as every other Kommunstaat Grunburg Kommunstaat The Grunberg Kommunstaat was the second state to be conquered by the Kommunreich, just after Weissburg. Despite the success of the Hexenwache in the Weissburg Campaign, the people of the green mountains proved much more difficult to subdue. Official party documents on the Grunburg Campaign are heavily censored, if they exist at all, and one can only imagine what happened to require that level of secrecy. Even now, the Order maintains a heavy military and secret police presence in the state, and it is rumored that remaining rebels called "green phantoms" hide out in the mountains and regularly raid Kommunreich positions. Quebecois Communetat The Quebecois Communetat was the result of several years of infiltration, sabotage, and proselytism, culminating in the invasion of Southern Quebec. The disorganized and politically disjointed Quebec Republic couldn't muster a proper defense before Kommunreich forces and Quebecois collaborators had already reached the Saint Lawrence River. Soon afterwards, the Quebec Republic fell to a coup d'etat executed by high-ranking leadership in the military, and the new regime vowed to exact revenge on Neu England for the loss of their southern territory. Hudsen Kommunstaat The Hudsen Kommunstaat was set up in the Hudson Valley, and worships the Hudson River with a religious reverence. This intense devotion has been closely monitored by the Order of Salem, lest it become a rogue heresy, but as of yet the Hudsonian branch of Occultische has remained unmolested. This idolatry of the Hudson River likely stems from the Kommunstaat's reliance on fishing in the river, and the farmland fed by its fertile banks. Mohikaner Kommunstaat The Mohikaner Kommunstaat, when first encountered by the Kommunreich, was a savage band of raiders and hunters which terrorized the surrounding region. They fought a series of small skirmishes, but eventually after a series of negotiations the Mohikaner were integrated and re-organized into a Kommunstaat, which provided elite troops for the Hexenwache and front line forces. Other Kommunstaats have often complained of Mohikaner raids continuing within Neu England borders despite the Order's attempts to redirect them outside the borders of the Kommunreich (typically into the Laurentian League). Suskwehannen Kommunstaat The Suskwehannen Kommunstaat could be called the anima to the Mohikaner's animus. The violent, ferocious warriors in the north are contrasted by the more peaceable, sedentary settlements to the south. While not actively aggressive, they will defend their land which they hold as sacred. The integration of the Suskwehannen was much slower than the Mohikaner, but eventually bore fruit in a highly productive permaculture-agroforestry-based Kommunstaat. Alleghannen Kommunstaat The Alleghannen Kommunstaat consists of the northernmost Appalachian tribes of the Ohioan subgroup. While originally subjugated just as any of the other Kommunstaats, the spread of Ali-Alakwas has re-ignited appalachian resistance, and the zealotry of the Ali-Alakwites matches if not exceeds many of the Hexenwache agents dispatched to dispell the heretical religion. During the Mason-Dixon War, Appalachian rebels on both sides of the border often played Virginian and Neu Englander armies against each other, harassing and raiding the survivors. Amish Kommunstaat The Amish Kommunstaat, similar to the Alleghannen Kommunstaat, is characterized by intense resistance to the Occultische movement. They have been intensely suppressed by the Order, as well as the intense military presence due to the Mason-Dixon War. Amish partisans fought alongside Virginian troops in the war, but ultimately failed to secure independence for their people. Virginia has also been accused of smuggling weapons across the DMZ to Amish resistance groups, but so far Neu England hasn't done much beside diplomatic posturing. Delphine Kommunstaat The Delphine Kommunstaat is the most urbanized region of the Kommunreich, constituting most of the industry in Neu England. The Delphine branch of Occultische is a strange mix of Salemite Occultism with pre-collapse American ideals and figures, with the founding fathers and relics of the American Revolution taking on a mythical significance. It is also the primary dockyard for the Neu England Kommunreich, although their trade and naval capacity are heavily restricted by Atlantropolis and The Grand State. History